AdClutterWeakensAttention to online advertisements increases significantly when they are embedded in articles and users engage with the content, according to the Project Trinity study of Havas Media Group and Teads.

Conducted around a year ago, the study looked at what factors have the greatest impact on user editorial engagement and ad awareness, and the answer to that question is still relevant.

Articles generate almost 600% more attention than subcategory pages and 160% more than homepages. Ads placed in the middle of the screen on mobile receive 25% more attention than ads on the edge of the screen. But most interestingly, the results showed that "ad clutter" undermines attention: sports websites serve twice as many ads per screen but generate half as much attention per ad compared to news sites.

On the other hand, a ratio of 20% between ads and 80% content optimizes user attention. Therefore, one larger ad is more effective at catching readers' attention than several smaller ones. Advertising should therefore improve the user experience, not to mention that campaigns should engage the audience in a specific context to gain attention and convey a brand's message effectively.

The results show that "the quality of attention an ad receives is as important a factor in advertising success as frequency," explains Caroline Hugonenc, SVP Research & Insights at Teads, who also just presented the Teads Attention Program, which will provide brands with optimal multi-screen reports of attention metrics in Teads Ad Manager.

Through Teads' global reach at quality publishers and connected TV providers, and integration with industry-leading attention measurement partners, this ground-breaking program will accelerate the understanding of attention for media buyers and media owners by empowering them to plan, buy, optimize attention and reporting on it to ultimately achieve a better return on media investment for brands.

Attention has been shown to be three times more effective at predicting outcomes than viewability, with the most important factors identified as creative, media quality, relevance, and ad experience. As digital investments become fluid across all channels, brands are looking for better ways to measure this new metric across all screens.

“We are proud to be leading the evolution of attention measurement with the launch of our attention program, knowing the diverse impact attention has on campaign results and therefore on a brand's business. This is a huge step forward for the industry and we will continue to work with all our publisher, agency, and advertising partners to help them work with this new metric to align with their business goals," concludes Caroline Hugonenc.

Now, omnichannel attention measurement will be made possible with Teads in conjunction with Adelaide and Realeyes. With more than 2,000 creatives measured, Teads’ long-standing facial coding measurement with Realeyes means the platform can combine both creative and media quality metrics from Adelaide to provide sophisticated solutions for brands. This partnership will enable brands to pre-test creative by screen type to capture attention levels ahead of campaign launch. Advertisers can leverage these unified attention insights to optimize live campaigns, connecting the right creative with the right screen resulting in greater impact, higher outcomes and increased efficiency.

In addition, Teads is breaking new grounds in partnership with Lumen by now offering native reporting of attention metrics within Teads Ad Manager, alongside in-context creative testing tools, which allow advertisers to optimize their asset. It is the first time a 3rd party attention company integrates with a technology platform, enabling brands to more accurately report on the level of attention their ads have received for a campaign. By connecting Lumen attention data with Brand Pulse, Teads’ in-house brand lift solution, Teads will also be able to advise brands on the level of attention they require for a specific campaign.

By integrating with leading attention measurement vendors, Lumen and Adelaide, and ad-testing leader Realeyes, Teads is building out a robust set of tools enabling brands to drive greater media effectiveness and business results. As the program evolves, Teads will integrate additional partners and capabilities. The pioneering program will be released later in 2022.

By Daniela La Marca